Concrete-placing apparatus.



A. c. ONEEL.

CONCRETE PLACING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED APR-21. 1916.

1,201,085. v Patented Oct. 10,1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

// III/l A/berf C. OWeel,

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APPLICATION FILED APRIL 1916.

Patented Oct. 10, 1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

INVEN TOR m: mmRJs FEYERS co. Puom unm. wasmmzmu. nv c ALBERT c. ONEEL, or roa rmlv'n, OREGON.

CONCRETE-PLACING APPARATUS. i

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented oet; 10,1916.

Application filed April 27, 1916. Serial No. 94,077.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that, I, ALBERT C. ONEEL, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city of Portland, county of Mult- -no1nah, State of Oregon, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Concrete- Placing Apparatus, ofwhich the following is a specification. V y

This invention relates generally to means for placing concrete, and has particular reference to an improved means for placing concrete inthe working chamber of a pneumatic caisson. As is well known in the art, the working chamber of a pneumatic caisson is sealed with concrete after the caisson has been sunk to the required depth. The method of accomplishing this work prior to my invention was to lower concrete in buckets down through a supply shaft, such operation being slow and tedious.

The main object of this present invention is to provide an improved means by which concrete may be delivered to the working chamber of a pneumatic caisson.

A further main object is to provide mechanical apparatus for doing this work which will operate without being subject to the derangements common to such class of apparatus. j i

The features of my invention are all fully shown in the accompanying drawings, in which V Figure 1 is a diagrammatic elevation, partly in section of apneumatic caisson with my improved concrete placing apparatus adapted for delivering concrete to the working chamber of said caisson. Fig. 2 is a larger scaled vertical section of; the appae ratus which forms the major portion-of my.

invention. Fig. 3 is a horizontal section on the line 33 of Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is a larger scaled detail of certain portions shown in Fig 2, showing however, these parts in another position.

a represents a pneumatic. caisson of standard type, of which .72 is the roof; 0 is the cutting edge, and cl is'the working chamber; 6 is a pier built on said caisson; f is a supply shaft extending upwardly from the working chamber through the roof of the caisson and the pier, and g is the air shaft similarly located.

In my construction I use an auxiliary supply shaft, although my invention is equally adapted for use with the supply shaftf. Said auxiliary shaft consists of a conduit h, the lower? end of. which com-' municateswiththe working chamber d of the caisson, and whlch end is provided with a hinged clapper. valve 2', normally held closed by the pressure in the working chamher. ,The other end of this conduit extends upwardly to the atmosphere, and mounted on this end is an enlarged air lock j. Said air lock is provided at its upper end with a valve chamber is and a clapper valve m, provided on its face with a gasket n is pivoted on a,horizontal.shaft Z in said chamber. A rigidhopper 0 connects directly with the-valve chamber is and when the valve .m is closed, the gasket n will bear tightly against the lower end of the hopper 0Yso as to form an air -tight closure forsame. The means for operating saidvalve consists of a lever handle p fixed on the outer end of the shaft Z.

Movably mounted in the main hopper o, is an auxiliary hopper 1*, which is formed at its lower. end with an extended pipe 8, and on its upper end with a flanged member t, the latter being adapted to bear on the rim end of the hopper 0, so as to limit the downward movement of the auxiliary hopper. When the latter is in the position shown in thefull lines of Fig. 2, the pipe 8 will extend down into the air-lock j so as to clear the valve m. The hopper 1* may be readily elevated to the position shownin the full lines of Fig. 1, or the broken lines of Fig. 2, by the following means; A vertical bracket to is rigidly mounted on the outside of the hopper 0,

v and a lever o is pivoted in the upper end of said bracket. One end of said lever is connected to the upper end of the auxiliary hopper r by a? flexible connecting element w, and the other end of the lever is provided with apull cable 00.

The upper portion of the air-lock j is furthermore provided with avalved air inlet, the conduit of which is represented by ya:nd the valve by 2, said conduit 3 connecting with some convenient source of air under pressure, so that when thevalve 2 is open the compressed air will be ad mitted to the lock 7'. The chamber j is further provided with an air outlet opening into the atmosphere, the conduit of which is represented by 2. andthe valve by 4.

The general operation of this apparatus is as follows The pressure in the working chamber of the caisson is maintained at a thevalve 4?? is normally open, valve 2.

is; closed, the valve m is open, and the auxiliary hopper W in the position shown by the full linesof Fig. 2. A batch of concrete is'first deposited into the air-lock through the auxiliary hopper, whereupon it will drop by gravity through the pipe 8. In dropping, the concrete will entirely clear the valve 777. and no particles of concrete Will come in contact with the gasket 71..1

The hopper 1* is thenraised to the position shown in Fi 4, th Valves and are a closed, andthe valve"2' is opened. When the pressure in the air-lock j has reached a point slightly in excess of the pressure in V the working chamber, the clapper valve 2' will automatically open and the concrete will flow by gravity through the supply a shaft into theworking chamber, as illustrated in Fig.1. Assoon as this concrete has been deposited, the valve .2 is closed,

the valve 4- is opened, and the consequent unbalancing of the pressures on opposite sides of. the clappervalve i will cause the latter to close. The valve m is then opened, and the auxiliary hopper lowered to initial position. This completes one cycle of the operation and further steps will be a repetition of the operation just detailed. It is to be noted particularly that concrete deposited in the air-lock fjTwill not come in contact with the valve m, and for this reason the valve m will never be fouled by clinging particles of concrete, so that when the valve is closed, a positive airtight closure will be maintained.

Claims:

L-The combination with a pneumatic caisson, having a supply shaft connecting with the working chamber of said caisson, and a hinged clapper valve on the lower end thereof, of an air-lock at the upper end of said shaft, said lock being provided with a material inlet opening, a clapper, valve adapted to close'said opening, operating means for said valve, said valve being providedwith a gasket adapted to make an airtight closure for said opening, a valved air inlet connecting the lock with a source of air under pressure, a valved air exhaust connecting the lock with the atmosphere, and a movable hopper provided with an extended mouth adapted to project through the opening of the air-lock and past the clapper valve.

2. The combination. with a pneumatic caisson, having a sup oly shaft connecting with the working chamber of said caisson, and a hinged clapper valve on the lower end thereof, of an air-lock at the upper end of said shaft, said lock being provided with a material inlet opening, a clapper valve adapted to close said opening, operating means for said valve, said valve being pro- 'vided Witha gasket adaptedto make an airtight closure for said opening, a valved air inlet connecting the lock with a source of air] under pressure, a valved air exhaust connecting the lock with the atmosphere and a movable hopper provided with an extended mouth adapted to project through the opening of the air-lock and past the clapper valve, with means for elevating said hopper soas to raise the extended mouth above the material inlet opening.

3. The combination with a pneumatic caisson, having a supply shaft connecting with the working chamber of said caisson, and a hinged clapper valve on the lower end thereof, of an air-lock at the upper end of saidshaft, said lockbeing provided with a material inlet opening, a clapper valve adapted to close said opening, operating means for said valve, said valve being provided with a gasket adapted to make an airtight closure for said opening, a valved air inlet connecting the lock with a source of air under pressure, a valved air exhaust connecting the lock with the atmosphere, and a movable hopper providedwith an extended 7 mouth adapted to project through the opening 'of the 1 air-lock and past the clapper valve, with means for elevating said hopper so as to raise the extended mouth above the materlal inlet opening, said means including a rigid standard, a lever pivoted thereon, and a flexible connection between. one end of the lever and the hopper.

I ALBERT o. ONEEL.

Witnesses: i

J. SELLEN, S. FIELn.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents;

Washington, D. Q. i 

